Behind outstanding starting pitching and timely hitting, the Boston Red Sox handed Astros starting pitcher Charlie Morton his first loss in a 9-3 victory in Houston.
How quickly a weekend series can change a team’s confidence. Following Friday’s loss to the Houston Astros, the Boston Red Sox had to wonder if they just didn’t have what it takes to bead the defending World Series champions.
Already without right fielder Mookie Betts heading into the series, the team lost the first two games of the four-game series after quickly falling behind in each game. The first game saw Drew Pomeranz continue his struggles and the following game watched Chris Sale struggle in the early innings.
The two losses concluded that maybe the Astros just have the Red Sox number.
Not so fast.
Following a comeback win on Saturday in which David Price out-dueled Justin Verlander, Alex Cora’s team continued the momentum and handed Astros starter Charlie Morton his first loss of the team as the team ran away with a 9-3 victory Sunday night.
Behind the strong pitching effort of Rick Porcello, the Boston Red Sox bat combined power with timely hitting to leave the state of Texas feeling pretty good about themselves.
Overall, the split of the four-game series showed the 2018 Red Sox can compete with the World Series favorites. It also left the Red Sox manager with some hope and confidence for a potential meeting in October.
"“We know we’re a little bit banged up, but guys stepped up, and the energy was great,” Cora said following the game, via MLB.com. “We faced four of the best righties in the big leagues, and we did a good job with them. We know that team is going to be around, and they’re going to be around in October, where we want to be, so we’ll probably have to go through them. So, it was a great series.”"
There were many contributions in the win, but these three players really put on their big boy Sox to help split the four-game series.
Andrew Benintendi goes boom!
Following a big homerun in Saturday’s comeback victory, Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi flexed his muscles in Houston on Sunday night.
This time, he launched a solo blast into orbit to give the Red Sox a quick 3-0 lead over the Astros.
BOOM. 💥 pic.twitter.com/lQ5z1a6RJf
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 3, 2018
In hitting the second deck dinger off Houston starter Charlie Morton, Benintendi showed that his current hot streak is no aberration. In his last 30 games, the former top prospect is batting .339 with eight homers and 26 RBI after struggling to start the season.
During a time when the Red Sox really need someone to step up in the absence of Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi has become that guy. If sustained, he, along with Betts and J.D. Martinez, will become quite the power combination at the top of the Red Sox batting order.
Benintendi’s double to start the game set the tone for the night as he ended up scoring on the two-run blast from this next big performer in Sunday night’s 9-3 victory
‘More’land power
Mitch Moreland continues to have a positive impact on the Boston Red Sox.
He continued to swing a clutch bat Sunday night with a two-run blast off Charlie Morton to give the Red Sox a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win
The homer, which came off a hanging curveball off Morton, set the tone for the night. He also singled in the sixth inning and was part of the team chasing the Astros righty out of the game with a 6-1 lead.
In delivering his 10th homer of the season, Moreland continue to prove he is a reliable bat in the lineup. He is also a reason the team was comfortable with releasing Hanley Ramirez. The veteran leadership, along with this patience are reasons he will be a value for the Red Sox leading down the stretch.
Despite swinging a hot bat, he never complained to Alex Cora about his playing time. He just did whatever the team asked.
"“I think it’s just understanding this game a little bit over time,” Moreland told MassLive.com last week. “Early in my career I felt like I might have got into that mindset a little bit of maybe getting down if I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted to, that kind of thing. But I felt like that had a negative impact on me as a player, my family, probably my team. And that’s not what I wanted to do. That doesn’t take you in a positive direction.”"
That outlook and approach has eventually paid off with the Boston Red Sox. While many fans scratched their heads when the team re-signed him for two years, $13 million, they are now enjoying what he is delivering in the everyday Sox lineup.
The good Rick Porcello
The Boston Red Sox received the good Rick Porcello in the 9-3 victory.
Due to the bats of both Mitch Moreland and Andrew Benintendi, the righty was staked to a 3-0 lead in the early innings and didn’t look back.
In recording this 8th victory of the season, Porcello went 6 1/3 innings giving up just two earned runs on five hits. He also struck out five in holding the Houston Astros potent lineup in check throughout the night.
With the way the team dropped the first two games of the four-game series, the Red Sox needed a big boy performance out of Rick Porcello and they got it. In moving into a tie for wins in the American League, the Sox starter impressed his manager with the way he kept his head in the game despite losing a little of his command.
"“He did a good job with the fastball, I think it was two-seamers away, bringing it back to those hitters. Establishing in,” Cora said following the game. “Back and forth. Looked like they didn’t see the ball well off of him, and he did a good job. At the end, I think he lost his arm angle a little bit and lost his command, but he was outstanding for us.”"
During one of the big stretches of the game, Porcello faced the heart of the Astros order clinging to a 2-1 lead. With runners on base, he struck out Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.
Next: Boston Red Sox: Why the end is near for Dustin Pedroia
Talk about a big-time performance.
Rick Porcello and the Boston Red Sox look to continue that momentum as they prepare for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers.